Amarillo Convention & Visitor Bureau -- Visit Amarillo
The Amarillo travel and tourism industry annually generates more than $900 million in direct spending to the local economy. It is one of the city’s largest industries, serving nearly 2 million overnight visitors last year. The Amarillo Convention & Visitor Bureau (CVB), its committees and its local partners work together to welcome all our visitors.
The CVB is funded exclusively by dedicated Hotel Occupancy Tax within the City of Amarillo and is an independent organization as of October 1, 2020, is no longer under the Chamber of Commerce and City of Amarillo umbrellas.
The Communication Committee advises and oversees the development of marketing programs and advertising strategies to promote Amarillo. This includes outdoor advertising, monitoring editorial and media coverage, print ads, special promotions and internet marketing. The CVB maintains a popular website, www.VisitAmarillo.com, that brings the world to Amarillo. The CVB produces a consumer-oriented Amarillo Visitor Guide and a Visitor Map, which are distributed all over the world. A static visitor information counter is maintained at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. The Convention and Tourism Committee helps develop strategies to promote tourism and convention business by identifying domestic and international target markets. Promotional materials and specialty advertising program developed by the CVB aid in its active solicitation and bidding efforts to bring conventions, meetings, technical and leisure group tours of all sizes to Amarillo.
CVB staff work with individual conventions on pre-meeting planning, coordination and publicity while providing registration assistance through nametags, literature, maps and promotional items. Certain meetings qualify for transportation and housing assistance.
The Amarillo Film Commission has been part of the CVB for over 20 years. The Amarillo Film Commission is a nonprofit organization that promotes Amarillo to the film industry. The commission develops, produces and distributes a biannual Film Production Directory, acts as liaison between local production professionals and outside production companies, and co-ops with the Texas Film Commission on trade shows and promotions.
CVB staff works closely with the Amarillo Civic Center Complex to host events each year, from small reunions to large national conventions. One of the best municipal civic centers for a city the size of Amarillo, the civic center is over 400,000 square feet, giving CVB staff more options to pursue conventions and meetings for the city.
CVB staff also works with the Tri-State Fairgrounds to attract major events, such as the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association Finals, and other equine and cattle shows, competitions, rodeos, and western events to the Amarillo National Center.
The Arts Committee is an advocate for the local non-profit arts organizations. It coordinates the annual Golden Nail Awards that recognizes local and area individuals, businesses, foundations and volunteers who support the fine arts. The Arts Committee also provides financial assistance to local non-profit arts organizations. It sponsors a matching advertising program and maintains an arts events calendar. The Arts Committee manages an Art Airport Program on behalf of the City of Amarillo. The program invites artists to display works of art in the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport terminal building and grounds. The Arts Committee co-sponsors the annual Jazztober Concerts held on Tuesdays in October on the Chamber grounds.
